I'm at a latitude that is technically further south than LA and probably about the same distance from an ocean. It got "cold" here in January - meaning in the 50s during the daytime.From a weather standpoint, no sane person would consider scheduling an outdoor hockey game here....and it's much warmer in LA.

6 games is too much. I could see 2 maybe 3. A game in LA seems odd. At least one of these games is likely to have a weather/ice issue. I'd rather the pens not play in anymore outdoor games. I know the players and fans like it and maybe the Crosby injury just leaves a bad feeling about them, but watching the last one played with all that rain on the ice just seemed stupid to me. It wasn't a real NHL game. It was an exhibition game that counted in the standings.

OK, I'll take your word for it. I just imagine March everywhere as 23 one day and 58 the next

That's not too far off for Chicago, although 58 would be fairly rare. I just glanced at weather records (actually for the suburb in which I lived for a few years) and got for March 1:avg high = 41 degrees Favg low = 22 Fmean = 31 Frecord high = 68 Frecord low = -10 F

So even money would say it will be a bit above freezing, which I think would mean the ice would probably be pretty crappy. But the NHL will have skilled ice crews working on it, and chances are they'll be able to have a meaningful game. But there's a decent chance the high will be below freezing anyway, and some chance it will be problematically warm.

I think it'll be cool and I'd like to make the trip if possible (probably not for me). I went to both of the Winter Classics the Pens were in and they were really fun and memorable events. I'd love to go to another.

As I said a while back, I'm just not a fan of this. I wasn't one of the people who thought the WC was losing it's luster, but it 's not going to mean much with this many other outdoor games now. It was cool how it was one game a year, outdoors, on New Years Day, it was a special event. Now it's just another hockey game that happens to be on a holiday.

It wouldn't be as bad if maybe one or two other outdoor games were being played a year but 6 just takes away all uniqueness of it, you're including almost half the league.

I do think it would be cool to see the Pens play at PNC though if the conditions weren't **** like last time, but obviously that can't be controlled well.

Grunthy wrote:As long as it doesn't rain or is like 100 degrees, the ice will be fine. Its not like an nhl arena is below freezing on the inside...

I didn't mean to imply there's a sharp line right at 32 degrees F above which ice hockey becomes impossible. The ice conditions are more complicated than that. But I don't think the leeway goes up to 100 F. I've played on the Schenley Park outdoor rink in 70 F and pouring rain before (although that resembled a cross between water polo and parachuting almost as much as it resembled ice hockey). But NHL players are accustomed to much better ice than the rest of us louts get at our local rinks. The ice quality depends upon such things as the ice temperature, water quality and humidity of the air just above the surface. If the few afternoons right before the outdoor game are around 55 F and sunny, it might take a better refrigeration system than they can buy or engineer to keep the ice conditions just right to get a sheet of ice the players will like. IIRC for the Pgh winter classic, it was 50-ish and drizzling, and beforehand the icemaking gurus were concerned about both temperature and precipitation. They played, but the bad ice was an issue.

I live in WI and work in Chicago - it will be cold enough here March 1st and rain won't be an issue - as we had family issues and had to sell our Winter Classic tix in Pittsburgh, we're up for this game!

While I am a Toews fan from his days at UND (I'm an ND native), the bandwagon 'Hawks fans around here are even driving the old school fans nuts... and their hatred of Sid is almost Philly-like... luckily, their parents be damned, there are a lot of kids around here that are Pens fans...

Also, the local Chicago sports radio really has a respect for the Pens and really want to see them match up for the Cup this season, as they see it as the best test and not in the view of the nuts Sid-hatred...

Add all that to the fact that Sid's played only 1 game in Chicago, in 2006 - and believe me, the kids who are Pens fans (and even some 'Hawks fans) know this fact - this is a winner match-up for the sport here!

In short - being in the area, I think this match-up would be great for the sport in this region! Can't wait!